Man Utd’s swinging axe revealed easily as Bruno Fernandes admits ‘he’s not great’

A reporter has revealed that Manchester United’s sacking of Erik ten Hag and the temporary appointment of Ruud van Nistelrooy was “not a surprise at all”, while captain Bruno Fernandes responded to his manager’s sacking.

Man Utd sacked Ten Hag on Monday morningIt ended a tumultuous reign of more than two years at Old Trafford. The Dutchman guided Man Utd to two trophies during his spell, but results in both the Premier League and Europe have been largely negative.

Ruud van Nistelrooy, who returned to Old Trafford as assistant coach during the summer, took over on an interim basis.

And according to Daily Mail reporter Chris Wheeler – expert in reporting Man Utd – There may be more to Van Nistelrooy’s return than initially meets the eye.

be taken to xWheeler strongly suggested that Van Nistelrooy was brought in in part because he was capable of taking over at a moment’s notice. Ten Witches They were fired. Van Nistelrooy was previously a front-line manager at PSV Eindhoven.

“From the moment Ruud van Nistelrooy returned to Utd this summer, it felt like the club had a ready replacement if they had to sack Ten Hag,” Wheeler wrote. “It’s no surprise to see him step in.”

Sources told TEAMtalk that Van Nistelrooy was aware that he might be called on to take temporary duty while he was on as an assistant coach. Whether this also affects the former striker’s acceptance of a return, only he will know.

READ MORE: Listing all of Erik ten Hag’s Man Utd signings, from WORST to BEST

Bruno Fernandes responds to Ten Hag’s sacking

Wheeler also stated that Man Utd’s playing staff were not warned in advance of Ten Hag’s dismissal. Instead, they learned their manager had lost his job at the same time as the club’s official announcement just before noon on Monday morning.

Captain Fernandes was among the first to break his silence regarding the club’s decision.

Fernandes spoke extremely positively about his departing manager, but admitted that “the last period did not go very well”.

“Thanks for everything boss!” wrote Fernandes on Instagram. “I appreciate the trust and the moments we shared together, I wish you all the best in the future.

“Even though we know the last period wasn’t great for all of us, I hope you fans can carry with you the good things our manager did for our club!”

As for who will take the reins on a permanent basis, TEAMtalk’s Fraser Gillan is told there are four candidates on United’s radar.

The four in question Julian Nagelsmann, Graham Potter, Eddie Howe and Thomas Frank.

Howe will perhaps be the most difficult of the four to appoint, given he is based at Newcastle and does not have a release clause in his contract. Conversely, Potter, who is the only one of four players currently unlinked, would be the easiest to lure to Old Trafford.

GO DEEPER: Next Man Utd manager: EVERY option to replace Ten Hag

Van Nistelrooy’s perfect record at PSV Eindhoven